Someone hit the driver door of my new X1 while it was parked. Of course they did not leave a note behind. I the insurance adjustor indicated they are just going to patch the door (about 1200 in damage). I think the door should be replaced as I dont want a patched car when it is only two months old. Are there drawbacks for requesting that the door (panel I assume) be replaced? Are the parts even available yet?

For some reason the body shop already removed it and the two door handles on that side. Is the bondo route better than asking them to replace the door (since im already out my deductible for the hit-n-run)?

Someone hit the driver door of my new X1 while it was parked. Of course they did not leave a note behind. I the insurance adjustor indicated they are just going to patch the door (about 1200 in damage). I think the door should be replaced as I dont want a patched car when it is only two months old. Are there drawbacks for requesting that the door (panel I assume) be replaced? Are the parts even available yet?

If the damage did not get into the body lines, which it dont look that way, i would try a dentless paint removal company, they have done wonderful thing on cars i thought would have to be painted or body work on, dont hurt to have one of them look at it first, that way no paint is done to car at all....looks like a shallow dent that could be removed...

If the damage did not get into the body lines, which it dont look that way, i would try a dentless paint removal company, they have done wonderful thing on cars i thought would have to be painted or body work on, dont hurt to have one of them look at it first, that way no paint is done to car at all....looks like a shallow dent that could be removed...

+1. And it might cost less. Bondo is not very good in a long run. As big as the damage might look skilled paintless (not dentless) dent removal tech can have it done in an hour.

So i shouldn't be concerned that insurance company is recommending the bondo route? Just want to make sure they aren't cutting corners here to save money considering the car is just two months old.

They are cutting corners, but generally for the right reasons. Replacing the skin will involve swapping all trim over, which will greatly increase the repair bill, and as stated above, increase the odds of poor alignment, more rattles, future leaks, etc.

Accidents are a pain for sure, since they've listed areas to blend, your car will have thicker paint on the front fender, rear door and likely part of the hood, things that anyone with a $200 paint thickness gauge (an invaluable tool when shopping for used cars) will quickly pick up. Now is a good time to pursue diminished value compensation from your insurance.

Follow the above recommendations for looking into a PDR guy, if they can fix it you'll save the trouble of blended paint and the risk of letting a body shop screw things up, something most are incredibly gifted at.

If the damage did not get into the body lines, which it dont look that way, i would try a dentless paint removal company, they have done wonderful thing on cars i thought would have to be painted or body work on, dont hurt to have one of them look at it first, that way no paint is done to car at all....looks like a shallow dent that could be removed...

I agree, a dent clinic can do wonders. After the whole thing is back as good as possible, maybe then some bondo. Too much bondo on that hole will even crack in time, especialy when is a door that you slam non stop.

However, to be honest, I will fight for a new door. They might even need to clearcoat the whole side to match the color and clearcoat nuance (most likely since they removed the back door handle). Why?
What the heck are you paying for?

Has anyone had success submitting diminished value claims with their insurance? Given that the repair costs on this are around $1200 bucks, would they claim the damages were not large enough? I assume this will show up on Carfax which in my opinion diminishes resale value.

Has anyone had success submitting diminished value claims with their insurance? Given that the repair costs on this are around $1200 bucks, would they claim the damages were not large enough? I assume this will show up on Carfax which in my opinion diminishes resale value.

Yes, it's a pretty easy claim to make, your agent will likely already have a base amount that provides a basic guideline for the value differential of a car with no collision damage and one with repairs.

Your repairs will likely show up on CarFax (but they don't always). Unless you really luck out and the area can be repaired with PDR and you don't need paint, just the fact that you'll need the door and surrounding area resprayed will make it very easy for any dealer or knowledgeable buyer to tell that there's been damage. If you replace the door skin, that's one more stand out, since not all numbers will match.

Just for your edification, if I were buying a used car, any paint work would cause me to either walk away or offer significantly less, certainly more than $1,200. I can double check, but I think I got between $4k and $5k for diminished value when my M Coupe was rear ended. That was just what they offered, I didn't have to haggle. The beauty of that is that the cars were so rare, it didn't take nearly that much of a hit in resale, but that's a rare exception.

Another FYI, that video is mis-leading. 99% of insurance policies out there state that they will use After Market or Recycled parts on your vehicle; no matter how new it is. Obviously if the parts don't fit or function like original, they won't use it. So read your policies carefully!

Sure, you have the right to take the vehicle to the repair facility of your choice, but ultimately the shops have to abide by your insurance company's policies.

Just think about medication. Most health care carriers will only pay for generic drugs. And if you want the name brand stuff, you have to cover the difference. The auto insurance industry is following suit.

I think Farmer's is one of the only companies out there that offers an OEM endorsement. Meaning you pay an extra $39 a year on your policy, and if you get into a collision, Farmers will pay for OEM parts to be used on your vehicle.

I've been in the collision repair industry for almost 20 years. It has changed dramatically in that time.....